TEHRAN – Archaeologists working at the ancient Vigol archaeological site in central Iran have discovered a new hall and the remains of ritual offering tables during the third season of excavations at the site, a cultural heritage official said on Monday.

Seyyed Rouhollah Seyyed al-Asgari, deputy head of the Isfahan provincial department of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said the latest excavations at the Vigol site had produced significant findings, including a previously unidentified hall within the ancient religious complex.

“The third excavation season at the Vigol archaeological site has yielded notable discoveries, including a new hall,” Seyyed al-Asgari told IRNA news agency.

The excavation project began about two months ago under the direction of Iranian archaeologist Mohsen Javari and in cooperation with the University of Kashan.

According to Seyyed al-Asgari, the newly identified hall contains 10 bases believed to have supported offering tables used in religious ceremonies. Archaeologists also uncovered two additional architectural structures adjacent to the hall. Further studies are underway to determine their precise function.

The discoveries were made at the Vigol archaeological site, located in Aran and Bidgol county in Isfahan province, about 215 kilometers north of Isfahan and near the city of Kashan.

Officials describe Vigol as one of Iran’s most important archaeological sites because evidence suggests that religious activities at the sanctuary continued for nearly two centuries after the arrival of Islam in Iran during the seventh century.

Seyyed al-Asgari said the sanctuary is considered among the best-preserved examples discovered in the country.

“Based on the findings obtained so far, this site is one of the most intact sanctuaries identified in Iran,” he said, adding that much of its architectural layout and structural framework remains preserved.

The Vigol fire temple, dating to the Sassanid era, was first excavated in 2010. It lies within a 120-hectare archaeological zone that has shown evidence of occupation and use from pre-Islamic times into the early Islamic period.

Earlier excavations revealed the central architectural plan of the fire temple and a distinctive 38-spoked fire altar resembling an inverted palm tree. Archaeologists said those findings provided valuable insight into religious practices during the late pre-Islamic period.

The first excavation season, conducted in 2010, focused on the temple’s central fire sanctuary and built upon surveys and test excavations carried out by a University of Tehran archaeological team between 2006 and 2008.

A second excavation season began in May 2021 and concentrated on areas surrounding the temple’s central circumambulation hall. That work led to the discovery of buried plaster structures in adjacent spaces.

The Sassanid Empire ruled Persia from 224 to 651 CE and is widely regarded by historians as one of the most influential periods in Iranian history. The dynasty oversaw major developments in architecture, urban planning, art and administration before its collapse following the Arab conquests of the seventh century.

Zoroastrianism served as the state religion during the Sassanid era, and fire temples played a central role in religious life. Archaeological evidence from sites such as Vigol has helped researchers better understand the transition from pre-Islamic religious traditions to the Islamic period.

The new findings are expected to contribute to ongoing research into the religious and cultural landscape of central Iran during the final centuries of the Sassanid Empire and the early Islamic era.

AM